The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-16
THE THEATRE OF HIGH FINANCE.
Some Of the Figures Which Are Seen
in the Financial Firmament.

Some Of the Figures Which Are Seen
in the Financial Firmament.
NEW YORK, Oct. 15.-The Baltimore and
Ohio Telegraph deal has directed renewed
attention to some of the Colossi of the finan-
cal world who loom up in its transactions
like their prototype of ancient Rhodes.
There is Gould, cool, smooth, crafty, far
seeing, smiling at times, yer~generally grave
as statesman, ending CARROTS financial
career with a stab under the fifth rib as
royal Richard gave the quietus to the I'M
fortunate prince in the field by Tewksbury.
There is j. Pierpont Morgan, gruff, bull
bous -nosed, sardonic, treating Garrett as
spoiled schoolboy, yet pretending to COM
mend his judgment; putting his cigar in an
elegant office, hat on his head and uncon-
ventional, signing contracts deadly to the
ambitions of some, forging ahead in his
monetary campaigns, remorsely as the in
famous Duke Of Alva among the Dutch,
serving, however, no Charles V. of
the business world but his own ia
nous house, and adding steadily to his
own princely fortune. There is Robert Gar
rett, the prodigal son, just returned from
far country to be slaughtered as the fatted
calf to tickle the palates of his enemies ca
rousing at the Hoffman House, and mis-
taken for a madman, talking confidential
stood in the shadow of the gallows-Gar-
rett, the devotee of society and luxury, the
sybarite whom crushed rose leaf would
distress, and whose motto seems to be
''wine women and song" pea rafting in
the shoes of a giant, his father, anu at
length cast into outer darkness as trouble
some. There is the pigmy Burns, Acting
President of the Baltimore and Ohio, selling
what Garrett considers his birthright for
what Garrett in his frenzy deems little bet
ter than a mess of porridge, but neverthe-
less really making pretty good bargain
for his former master. Burns is financial
Vicar of Bray, who bows to the powers
that be, keeps in favor with successive dy-
nasties, and, as the French say, will ar
rive" or as Americans say III an uncon-
scious Gallicism, will get there"
These are some of the figures which the
latest big volcanic deal has thrust up anew
for the observation and comment of men.
There is another whoi is worth a passing
word. 1t is DR.. Norvin Green. He mas
querades as President of the Western Union
Telegraph Company. Wall street hardly
knows whether to laugh or swear when DR..
Green's name is mentioned. A Speculator
in stocks who always scores a balance on
the wrong side of the books in spite of his
Outside" information, Gould taking care
that all his hirelings shall get their fingers
burnt If they NEEDLE with stocks; man of
considerable knowledge in regard to tele-
graph matters and better informed as to
technical details, perhaps, than Mr.. Gould,
yet one whose place as President,
in which he receives something like
So, 600 year, could be satlSfacto-
rily filed by any telegraph manager Of fair
experience for s., 500 a year; a man 20 years
of age. too old, doubtless, to be a genuine
Don Juan, though the Street has queer
| stories to tell. For instance, it is true that
Gould, on one occasion, laughed for the first
time in two years on catching the Doctor in
the act of paying gallant attentions to a
pretty young woman in his office. 1t could
hardly have been blooming young tele-
grapher, and, doubtless. the Doctor did not
go to the length of osculatory demonstra-
| tons 1t was DR.. Green who wanted TO
have Detective Price broken for arresting
! two females for whose character the Doctor
| kindly vouched. The Doctor is silver
haired, but does a volcano sleep under the
| snowG
| He is a native of Kentucky, all, Sparely
built, stoop-shouldered, hatchet-faced, and
nearly as bald as Julius Cesar He was
grad ,ated from the medical department of
the University of Louisville, pTacticed med
icine for a time in that city, served several
terms in the Kentucky Legislature became
q director in 1854 in the Southwestern Tele-
graph Company and later its President. The
company was merged with the American
| Telegraph COMPANY which in 1866 was alb
sorbed by that leviathan among corpora
tions, the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, of which DR.. Green became the Vice
President and in 1878 the President, on the
death of William Orion, a man of far
greater natural ability Greeu was once
engaged in the dry gools business in a
small Kentucky town, beginning his COM
mercial career in the midst of the
panic of 1881. Fifty years ago he went 10
Cincinnati to buy his first bill OF goods as
the head of small house which a relative
had nearly wrecked, and which he saved by
his natural business skill. Later lie driftol
into t-irgraphy, and is now a man OF
wealth. He shows none of the true South
ern courtesy, however. His manners are
gruff and repelling to an unusual degree,
and naturally he is not personally popular.
He is, of coursa, mere figurehead as presi-
dent of the Western Union, though ne
assumes to speak by authority, and not as
the scribes. Still, lie is merely secretary
for Jay Gould, and obediently registers his
will. ANY act Of INSTRUMENTATION on the
part of the choleric doctor, any effort to
stand alone and and ignore his master, and
what would be the RESULT A bald head in
the guillotine basket.
OSCAR WILLoUGHBY RIGGS